Leading the way for the Bearcats was senior captain Laura Simanski (Reisterstown, Md./Roland Park) with five goals. Fellow senior Rachel Mercier (Catonsville, Md./Chapelgate Christian Academy) continued her goal-scoring streak by contributing two. She has scored in 11-straight contests this season.

UC and the Wildcats were neck-and-neck for much of the game, but Cincinnati never held the lead. After tying it up, 1-1, three minutes and 42 seconds in, VU went on to hold its largest lead of the first half, 6-2, 16 minutes later. Simanski scored the final goal of the first half to make it 7-4 heading into the break.

Simanski scored two more consecutive goals to start the second half to narrow the margin to one, 7-6, within minutes. The two teams exchanged goals to keep it a one-goal game, but the momentum swung in Villanova’s favor as the hosts’ lead increased, 16-8, with only 6:35 left. UC tacked on two more, but it was too little too late as the Bearcats lost its sixth-straight.

Each goalie, including UC’s Jennifer Walsh(East Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville), finished with five saves. Cincinnati won four more draw controls than the Wildcats, while Villanova narrowly held the edge in shots, 26-22.

The Bearcats travel to Rutgers on Sunday, April 15 for a 12 p.m. draw.